'Commandos 2 - HD Remaster' Nintendo Switch Impression

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Last month, the Nintendo Switch received yet another port in its ever-growing portendo library. This time, it was the HD Remaster of Commandos 2, a game first released in 2001 as Commandos 2: Men of Courage and as an HD Remaster in January 2020 on other platforms. Upon hearing the news, I was personally excited at the chance to play this game on-the-go given that I have fond memories playing it on PC when I was younger. I have best memories playing Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines but since only the sequel was coming to the Switch, I was still looking forward to it.

For those who haven’t played or heard about Commandos 2, this real-time tactics game was originally developed by Pyro Studios (while the HD Remaster was developed by Yippee! Entertainment and published by Kalypso Media Group). Set during the World War II period, it puts you in control of a small but elite group of commandos tasked to complete a series of intricate missions within enemy territory in various locations above and under water.

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As the genre suggests, it’s not a fast-paced game and will require you to study the enemies’ positioning, behaviors and strategize accordingly while making use of environmental features whether it’s to conceal yourself or sneak into a building. You will have a set number of commandos in each mission, with each member hiding in a different location on the map waiting for your command to put their specific abilities to the best use. For example, there’s the tough Green Beret who can lift heavy loads, the Driver who’s the only one capable of driving tanks and the Spy who can disguise himself as the enemy and even issue certain commands to lower-ranking officers. With their combined skill set, missions take a sandbox approach that can get very interesting as you let your creativity loose. As a fan of stealth games, Commandos 2’s gameplay also appealed to me in my youth as the stealth mechanic is an integral part of the gameplay and strategy to tackle some particularly tough missions.

But back then, I was playing on a PC with the classic keyboard+mouse combo. However, on the Switch, even if Kalypso Media touts that the controls have been optimized for the Joy-Con and Pro Controller, the reality is that the controls are a hot mess. There’s a ton of buttons and shortcuts to memorize that don’t feel intuitive, especially given the point-and-click aspect. I’ve had to frequently refer to the control scheme to refresh my memory regarding how to access certain actions. What would feel intuitive would be touch controls and I was hoping this would be an option in the Switch port but was sorely disappointed to see that this is not the case.

For a good Switch port of such a game, touch controls would be a no-brainer as it would make everything much more user-friendly. With the current controls, executing some fine actions properly such as climbing a pole, defusing mines or shooting enemies often proves challenging and this persists throughout the game. Even simple actions like zooming or changing camera angles require a few hoops which could have been performed easier with touch controls.

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Another persisting aspect in this remaster are the bugs. Visual and gameplay glitches are commonly encountered where characters and NPCs get stuck in the environment, preventing you to properly interact with them or some instances where commandos don’t respond to some actions. I even had an experience where Thief would just slide all the way back when I was aiming with his rifle. While it’s certainly a funny glitch, it attests to a poorly optimized port of a decades-old game. Then there’s the interminable load times whether you start a mission or restart after you die. Kalypso has apparently addressed some bugs with an upcoming hotfix, and hopefully these come to the Switch as well and make the experience more enjoyable.

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As for being an HD Remaster, the visual improvements are mostly fine, with the commandos and NPCs looking sharper, especially in handheld mode on the Switch (of course, the graphics don't compare to a contemporary game). There’s also a reworked UI and tutorial but the latter doesn’t really help with the confusing control scheme.

Considering the current price tag of $30, a more polished work would be expected out of Commandos 2 - HD Remaster. Controls are a pain, as are the load times and numerous bugs, but if I look past these, I can still find the game I was hooked to decades before but in a poorly optimized form that doesn’t justify the price. I hope that new updates will bring much-needed fixes to the game so as to deliver, in addition to touch controls, a more enjoyable and memorable experience that does Commandos 2 justice.

Commandos 2 - HD Remaster - Nintendo Switch Release Trailer

 

momin

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Such a great game. I wish new generations would spot this gem and get some taste of the old tactical games we played.

I will be giving it a try sometime next month and for what I saw, the update does fix quite some issues :)
 
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Prans

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Such a great game. I wish new generations would spot this gem and get some taste of the old tactical games we played.

I will be giving it a try sometime next month and for what I saw, the update does fix quite some issues :)

Definitely! That's why it needs a better remaster to do it justice :/
 

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I had the demo of the original game back in the day, and played it sooooo many times.
I even pretended I was in the game, playing in the snow. Shot invisible enemies, walked backwards on the snow, covered my tracks and so on :P

I can imagine the controls being less than great on consoles, due to the nature of the game. Oh well. I'm happy it exists!
 
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Prans

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I had the demo of the original game back in the day, and played it sooooo many times.
I even pretended I was in the game, playing in the snow. Shot invisible enemies, walked backwards on the snow, covered my tracks and so on :P

I can imagine the controls being less than great on consoles, due to the nature of the game. Oh well. I'm happy it exists!
yeah I was hoping this release would rekindle interest in the series and build up to new installments (which are apparently in the works?) but this does not really bode well :/
 

Issac

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yeah I was hoping this release would rekindle interest in the series and build up to new installments (which are apparently in the works?) but this does not really bode well :/
I have low expectations. This is basically a puzzle game in a war disguise, and I believe any reboot would make it into strategy roleplaying and miss the soul of the game... But you'll never know!
It's better to have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised, than the opposite ;)
 
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yeah I was hoping this release would rekindle interest in the series and build up to new installments

This is basically a puzzle game in a war disguise, and I believe any reboot would make it into strategy roleplaying and miss the soul of the game... But you'll never know!

The interest is already there, and the new installments are very faithful to originals, both have been praised to be even better than the originals.

...they just aren't Commandos, nor are they available for Nintendo Switch. Commandos does not really have anything unique story-wise that would make it any better series than the others. The only thing differing it is the WW2 theme, which isn't really necessary.

Play Shadow Tactics (Japan's Edo period) and Desperados III (Wild west themed), both developed by Mimimi Games and published by THQ Nordic.
 
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The interest is already there, and the new installments are very faithful to originals, both have been praised to be even better than the originals.

...they just aren't Commandos, nor are they available for Nintendo Switch. Commandos does not really have anything unique story-wise that would make it any better series than the others. The only thing differing it is the WW2 theme, which isn't really necessary.

Play Shadow Tactics (Japan's Edo period) and Desperados III (Wild west themed), both developed by Mimimi Games and published by THQ Nordic.
I believe you can add Robin Hood Legend of Sherwood to that list. Though my experience with that one is limited.
Desperados is cool, though.
 

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